Nightfall
by Salve-SiS
Summary: The final battle ended in a stalemate. Xehanort didn't win, but neither did they. Stranded on a strange world, the guardians of light get help from the Voltron Paladins, who struggle to protect the universe from the the infamous key bearers, said to bring ruin and destruction wherever they go. Klance, Terqua. Prompts taken from LooLa Bean's 100 theme challenge. INDEFINITE HIATUS.
1. Beginning

**I. Beginning**

* * *

 _ **'Why? Why did it have to come to this?'**_

 _She dodged one of their attacks, scraping her elbow and legs on the rocky terrain. She hissed at the smarting cuts and fumbled in her knapsack for a potion. Avoiding the next attempted strike by less than a centimeter, she downed the potion. She waited for the pain to subside and rushed back to her feet._

 _She wasn't ready for this. This fight was beyond her. She needed help. But the others were engaged in their own battles. She supposed she could..but no. It was too dangerous. She couldn't put any more lives at risk._

 _She raced on, summoning a ball of darkness in her hand and throwing it at one of her two opponents. They faltered but regained their momentum in a flash. She projected a barrier and redirected the bolt of lighting aimed at her. It hit her opponent's partner, who yelled out in pain._

 _She cast Dark Firaga at them, and was about to follow up with a Blizzard spell when the ground lurched. She halted, and turned to look at the center of all this chaos-_

 _The waves of darkness and light surrounding them bursted out. Thick tendrils of light slithered and curled around them, making it hard for her to see. The light was so bright, and it burned. She thought, maybe, the burning had more to do with her than the light itself. If that was the case, she wondered whether any of the others felt this same, inflamed intensity._

 _A hurricane of rock and Keyblades encircled them amidst the light and darkness. Someone in the background shouted out her name. She couldn't make out their voice, couldn't tell whether it was an ally or enemy._

 _A voice in the back of her mind whispered, Which one are you?_

 _The darkness mingled with the beams of light, salved its intensity, and left her bitter. She could make out figures in the distance, but between the blazing light and the freezing darkness, she couldn't see who they were._

 _The ground shook wildly underneath her. She stumbled in place, hair whipping her across the face, vaguely aware of the silhouette approaching her. Screams filled the air._

 _Someone grabbed her hand._

* * *

There were times when Lance couldn't sleep. Not because it was too loud, but because it was too _quiet_. He was used to the sound of his parents' TV late at night, of his older brother laughing not so quietly to himself as he watched videos on his laptop. Lance complained about it often back home, but as the days passed here in the Castle, he found himself missing all the noise.

Being a pilot was his dream since he was a kid, but he never accounted for how quiet space could be. He made do by focusing on small noises like the hum of the Castle engines, but there were times it just wasn't enough. Like now.

Screw it. Throwing his bed covers off, Lance headed for one of the castle's observation decks. There was one on the upper floor with the most amazing view, and if he was stuck being young and restless, he might as well take it in.

The doors slid open. Lance stepped inside and saw Keith standing close the Castle windows, close enough that he couldn't see his reflection in the glass. The doors closed behind him, and Keith whipped around to face him, surprise written on his face.

It took less than a second for it to turn into irritation. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too, Mullet," Lance strode across. "I could ask you the same thing, you know. But I won't. Because, unlike you, I _respect_ people's privacy."

Keith scoffed. "Right."

"Besides, it's not like you own the observation deck. I don't see your name written anywhere on these walls." Lance regarded them with an overcharged wave of the hand.

Keith looked very much like he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, because we're not _five_."

Lance replied, "No kidding. I'm a total ten. You're more of a three, maybe a soft four."

"What?" Keith looked at him blankly for a split second before he shook his head in what Lance knew had to be defeat. He turned his attention back to the window, eyes narrowed.

Lance approached the large window. He kept a few feet away from Keith and gazed out into space. The stars, bright, glossy, and abundant, winked at him dutifully. Lance smiled and remembered his older brother and sister. They dragged six year old him to the beach once one summer night to look up at the stars. Their parents found them with their backs pressed into the sand, hustled together and giggling as they pointed up to the sky and made up constellations. Santiago and Anna had gotten into so much trouble.

Lance grimaced and scrunched his eyes shut. He opened them and turned to Keith, who wore the same intense expression on his face. It was unsettling. "Yo, dude, what's your damage?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "What happened to respecting others privacy?"

"I got bored of that." Lance said with a shrug. "Come onn, man. Keeping that shit in isn't healthy. What's wrong?"

He was surprised to realize he actually cared. Keith stared at him, an almost thoughtful expression on his face, and then broke into a sigh.

"I just...got a weird feeling," He said, slowly. "Like something's on its way over here. I can't tell what it is, but it's out there, and it's coming right for us."

"...Okaay," Lance said. Ominous, much? But Keith had a knack for these things. He had a knack for a lot of things, not that Lance would ever admit it. It annoyed him to no end. "And, uh, this 'whatever it is', is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"...I can't tell." said Keith. "I think...both?"

Lance stared at him. "That's not cryptic at all. Maybe you should tell Shiro about this?"

Keith stiffened. "Are you making fun of me."

"What? No!" A part of him really wanted to, though. Lance squashed it down and focused on his fellow Paladin. "It's just, if you're having a weird feeling, like we're about to be attacked, the others should probably know about it, right?"

"...Yeah." Keith nodded. His hand inching towards his knife, he started to leave the room. "Let's go."

"What, no, 'You're right, Lance. Thanks for the totally awesome advice?'" Lance prodded. He grinned when Keith gave in and rolled his eyes at him.

They were about to leave together when the Castle started to tremble unbridled. "Ahh!" Lance let out a startled shout. He scrambled for balance but failed and landed flat on his stomach. Keith, swaying, took a step towards him. He was halfway there when another tremor passed. He stumbled and fell on his knees.

"What the quiznak?!" Lance shouted over the shudders and groans of the castle. He tried in vain to find something to steady himself with. "What's happening?!"

There was an upheaval that sent both boys flying across the floor. The deck filled with an all encompassing light, and a warmth filled Lance up from head to toe. Soft but brilliant, it was like drinking hot chocolate in the winter. He felt relieved and cozy. He was content. He never wanted this feeling to end.

The peacefulness vanished and was replaced with pure terror. The warmth was gone; now all that was left was a biting cold that had Lance curled into a ball, desperate to preserve the warmth. He started to suffocate from the weight of the cold, from the heavy tension choking him.

Something grabbed his wrist.

Lance scrambled to get away but was pulled into an awkward, protective clutch. He resisted out of instinct, then realized how snug and steady the arms around him were. He leaned in, desperate for reprieve, and the other's arms tightened around him.

The cold left him, and the castle tremors reached a slow, gentle stop. Lance kept still, acutely aware of his own labored breathing. Keith hovered above him, eyeing the deck with caution.

He had readjusted himself so his and Lance's shoulders were pressed together. Lance's stomach flipped, and he shoved Keith off of him. Keith wavered but didn't fall, though he still shot Lance a glare. "Hey! Watch it!"

"You watch it!" Lance shot back. His voice cracked, to his annoyance. Hopefully Keith didn't notice. "Personal space, buddy. Respect it!"

"Yeah, like that's what's important right now." Keith snapped, getting up on his feet. Lance followed suit. The terror was gone, as was the peace and joy. All that was left was trepidation. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Keith said, eyebrows furrowed and fingers curled. He had his knife out, and searched the room with a hard gaze.

"Well, what are your feelings telling you now?"

Lance's words came out harsher than he meant them to. Keith threw him a dirty look and growled,"Stop being a dick. And get over here. You're defenseless without your Bayard, you're gonna get yourself killed."

"By who? There's no one else here besides us!"

Keith ignored him, which only added to Lance's irritation. The red paladin circled the room, coming to a stop a few feet from the deck window. He examined the outlook for a few ticks, and seemed to zero in on an unknown object.

Lance joined him. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"

Pointing outside, Keith asked, "Do you see that?"

Lance followed the direction of Keith's finger. All he saw was stars. "Uh..."

Keith let out an exasperated groan. Grabbing Lance by the chin, he ignored his protests as he adjusted his head's position.

" _There,_ " He said.

Lance stretched his neck out, squinting with concentration. Seconds passed and he was able to make out the sight of what looked like a moon. It was far off into the distance, so he couldn't get a good look at it. To his astonishment, it appeared to be shaped like...a heart?

Lance and Keith turned to stare at each other. "What the heck is that?"

"I think," Keith said, eyebrows crumpled. "That's a problem."

* * *

 _New semester, new project! The chapters length will probably vary-It will be around 1500 words each so the wait time between chapters will be minimum. For now I'm following LooLa' from Deviantart's 100 theme challenge, which would put the entire word count into an eventual 150,000 or so :D This is a full crossover between Kingdom Hearts and Voltron: Legendary Defender, but I figure not too many people will find this story in the crossover section, and the Kingdom Hearts section allows me to tag the majority of the main characters-by which I mean the pivotal characters. The story will also focus on three specific Voltron characters, but rest assured, **all** of Team Voltron will have a significant presence. _

_Man I'm SO excited for this. I've got plans for this story, plans which I_ hope _will surprise you guys and keep you hooked until the bitter end. Remember to read and review, please~!_


	2. Obsession

**II. Obsession**

* * *

The rest of the team assembled at the castle bridge, spooked but otherwise unharmed. "There you are," Shiro said when Keith and Lance arrived. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine," said Keith as Lance groaned.

"Speak for yourself." Lance said, wincing as he grabbed at his elbow. "My bruises have bruises with bruises. Ugghh. So much for getting some beauty sleep."

What? Keith's gaze flickered to the blue paladin in surprise. It wasn't as if Lance had been asleep before the tremors started. But now wasn't the time to get into it, so Keith hid his surprise with a roll of the eyes. He chided, "Lance, as in need as you are of a facelift, we have bigger things to worry about than your vanity."

"That's right," Pidge said over Lance's enraged splutters. "You guys saw that thing outside, right?"

"Yeah. It was like a big, giant flashlight." Hunk said.

"It's definitely something," Shiro said. "Coran, where's Allura?"

Coran rubbed the tip of his mustache between his fingers. "The Princess is in the Castle library. She sent me down here to keep an eye on you paladins while she searched for a few answers." He tapped his chin. "It's quite the peculiarity, isn't it. What a strange object. And t's shape! I've never seen anything like it."

Lance raised his eyebrows. "Coran, buddy. It's a heart."

Coran's jaw dropped. "That's supposed to be a heart? There isn't a vein or artery in sight!"

"It's not really a heart," Shiro explained. "It's-I'll explain later. Was it a good idea to let her go alone after what just happened?"

"Excuse me," a new voice, stern and slightly offended piped up. Allura entered the fray, glaring at Shiro "I am not a defenseless child in need of constant supervision."

"I never meant to imply otherwise," said Shiro. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine," Allura said. Keith noticed her posture was rigid, fixed as if prepared for attack. She clenched her jaw. "I'm afraid we have a rather dangerous situation at hand."

"What do you mean by dangerous?" Hunk asked.

The princess of Altea set her steely stare upon them all. "What I'm about to tell you is information that has been safe guarded by the Altean royal family for countless generations. Nothing we discuss here leaves this room. Is that understood?

"Allura, what's wrong?" Tingles of apprehension crawled up Keith's spine. Something had to be wrong for Allura to be this serious.

"Tell me, have any of you ever heard of the Kingdom of Hearts?"

"Kingdom...of Hearts?" Pidge blinked. "Is that what's up in the sky?"

Allura nodded. "Yes. An entity, which predates all known life. In ancient times this entity, rich with quintessence, provided abundant energy to each world in the universe. No one wanted. It was an idyllic era of peace and harmony. But it was not meant to last."

"Craving the Kingdom of Heart's infinite supply of quintessence," Allura continued. "Legions formed. War broke out. These savages used their own, corrupted brand of quintessence in their pursuit of power, and brought ruin to all corners of the universe. Countless lives were lost. The Kingdom vanished, leaving behind enough quintessence for survivors to live and rebuild on. As the years passed, word of it faded from common knowledge, and the Kingdom became nothing more than a legend. But now, after all these years, it appears to have returned."

"Hold on, isn't that a good thing?" Lance crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting a really awesome vibe from this thing."

Pidge played with her glasses. "Yeah, it kinda feels like the air's gotten lighter. Like the atmosphere has gotten more tranquil."

Keith frowned. Tranquil? When this supposed Kingdom first appeared, he had been stricken with excitement. Its heat, blazing and enticing, invigorated him, made him feel as if he was being reborn. The sensation had subsided, but Keith could still feel it, a hunger for more.

"That's the problem," He said aloud. "If this kingdom has returned, then it won't be long before people try taking it for themselves again."

"People like Zarkon," Shiro said, horrified. "An infinite source of quintessence..."

"Yes," Allura said, grimacing. "There's no telling what Zarkon would do with that sort of power. But there are other things to worry about."

Hunk asked, "Other things to worry about than an evil emperor getting his hands on a mega-moon with limitless energy?

"Yes. The ones responsible for the previous bloodshed...the key bearers."

* * *

Aqua woke up with a headache. Stretching her wrists and toes to see if it was okay to get up, she shuddered with pain. "Okay," she whispered. Her voice crackled and her throat burned. "Concentrate, Aqua." Summoning all her magic, she breathed out, "Curaga."

She sighed with relief as the pain drained. The use of such a powerful spell left her a bit fatigued, but she could stand and walk around. That was good enough for her.

She spotted three familiar figures huddled on the ground. She hurried over to kneel down near the closest one, nudging him by the shoulder. "Ven." No response. "Ven!"

"Uggghhh," The blond groaned. His hand twitched as if to swat her back. "Leave me alone to die."

"Thank goodness." Aqua beamed. "Can you move?"

"Don't wanna," he muttered sullenly. "Can you carry me?"

Ven gave her a puppy dog pout, and Aqua bit down an exasperated chuckle.

"You're a big boy, Ventus." Still, she made sure to keep a gentle grip on him as she helped him up.

He wobbled on his feet before steadying himself up. He dismissed his armor and began to stretch when he spotted the other two figures. "Terra! Naminé!"

"Take it easy," Aqua said, bending over Terra while Ven hovered over Naminé. She bit her lip. Terra was out cold. "They don't look so good."

She reached into her pocket for a Mega-Potion while Ven cast a Curaga on Naminé. Naminé was the first to awaken. Her eyes fluttered open in conjugation with Ven's entire upper body slumping. "...Ventus? A-Aqua?"

Terra followed suit, watching Aqua dazedly. "What...Aqua? What happened? Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Aqua said, the pressure on her heart alleviating. She helped Terra up on his feet. He winced, grabbing his head.

"We're alive." Ven corrected her. He grimaced. "I doubt things are okay."

Naminé froze, gawking at sky above them. "Um. Guys...?"

Terra followed her gaze, and adopted a similar look of shock. "What the..."

Confused and alarmed, Aqua regarded the sky, and her jaw slackened. "Kingdom Hearts," she whispered.

"...No." Ven said. He started to shake his head incessantly. "No no, no. This is a dream. We got sucked into the Realm of Sleep and we're stuck in a nightmare. Or we're hallucinating. Whatever. It doesn't matter, because _this is not happening_."

"Ven," Aqua said, voice void of emotion. How she wished he was right. She remembered that fateful day, the day she lost her best friends at Xehanort's hands, more than eleven years ago. The worst day of her life, barring her time in the Realm of Darkness. Every detail had been etched into her mind, and she knew what it was they all gaped at.

Ven let out a guttural scream. He crouched down onto his haunches and grabbed fistfuls of hair in his fists. "Ven, calm down!" Terra clasped Ven's shoulders. Ven tried to shrug him off but Terra held firm. "Listen to me. It's okay."

"Let me go!"

"Ven, breathe!"

Kingdom Hearts floated up in the sky, oblivious to the panic its appearance had incited. Naminé switched her scrutiny between the entity and Ven. Aqua "Ven," she said gently. "Breathe.

"I-"

"You're okay," She said soothingly. "Nothing's gonna hurt you, we promise."

Ven gulped, and took in a deep, shaky breath. Aqua smiled. "See? You're doing fine."

Ven's shaking ceased.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked.

"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "Yeah, I'm fine now."

"It'll be okay, kiddo," Terra squeezed Ven's shoulders.

Ven rolled his eyes, the color returning to his face as he shrugged Terra's hands off. "Dude, no one likes a broken record."

Aqua smiled and then adopted a look of seriousness. "Okay. We have to figure out our next move."

"What happened?" Naminé shuffled her feet. "The last thing I remember, there was a big explosion."

Terra frowned. "Big enough to send us to a new world." He roamed the area. "And summon Kingdom Hearts back from the depths of darkness."

"We should look around," Aqua said. "We need provisions and we need to find the others. Maybe there's civilization close by."

"Or maybe this whole place is infested with monsters," Ven pointed out. He didn't sound too worried, though. If anything, he was a bit excited. "What are the odds of, like, a fifty foot dragon rampaging around the place?"

Terra replied, "I'd say pretty low. Like your chances for survival would be."

"I can take care of myself just fine," Ven said. "I got _these_ , remember?"

With a flourish, he summoned both Wayward Wind and Void Gear. He grinned at the others, his blue and red irises shining. "Power of the Keyblade!"

Terra and Aqua laughed while Naminé let out a small giggle.

* * *

"Obsessed with the Kingdom's power, the key bearers created weapons to harness the quintessence and use it for their own purposes. But it wasn't enough. They yearned to make the Kingdom their own. The key bearers waged battle with these weapons, and brought chaos to the universe. They disappeared alongside the Kingdom of Hearts, but now that it has returned, it won't be long until these warriors do as well, ushering in a new age of death and destruction."

* * *

 _So I sacrificed a few hours of sleep in order to get this done by today. I'd hoped to update yesterday, but one day late isn't so bad, right? Anyway, I'm officially back at school, so while I'm not going to say expect slow updates, I will warn you that I do have school to worry about, so.  
_

 _First of all, Ven's out-of-character behavior is deliberate. The reason for it will be explored as the story goes on, but I think you guys can guess what's happened. Second, do not take everything Allura tells Team Voltron at face-value. History tends to become warped as time passes, and the Keyblade War was already considered myth by Allura's time, let alone Keith's and the others. Third, can anyone guess where I got the term 'Kingdom of Hearts?'_


	3. Company

**III. Company**

* * *

The Keyblade Graveyard; everything came back to that single, desolate world. It was there that Aqua had been forced to fight Ventus, where Ven's heart was torn apart and later fell into a deep slumber, where Terra lost his body to Xehanort and spent over a decade haunting. None of them were eager to go back, but there was no choice. Not when Xehanort was involved.

Terra's memories of his time haunting the place were minimal. He recalled his battle with Sora and his brief encounter with Naminé, but other than that? It was a huge muddle of loneliness and rage. He was still on the fence on whether that was a good thing or not.

(He peeked at Aqua, who walked farther ahead than the rest of them, exchanging quips with Ven. Aqua, who'd been conscious and aware for her tenure in the Realm of Darkness. Who had only ended up there because she wanted to save him _._

His heart started to crack with guilt, and he pushed the thought down.)

Still, he detested the world. Hated that his friends had to back to a place which held such painful memories for them. He pushed himself like he'd never pushed before, determined and desperate to end this once and for all.

He was clashing against Xemnas when the Graveyard erupted with billows of light and darkness. The light burned, the darkness froze, and together the two forces blinded him. Aqua, Ven, and Naminé's silhouettes were little more than lost in the thick haze. It was a battle in itself to reach them. Terra only just managed to grab onto Naminé and Aqua' hands before he blacked out.

Had the others been whisked off-world too? If Terra could end up on an unfamiliar world, who knows where they ended up...But they were tough. Strong. They'd be fine, as long as they stuck together.

Up in the sky, Kingdom Hearts glistened with radiance.

The four of them found and followed a long gravel road. Surrounded by vast grasslands, the road stretched for miles. It taunted them with its lack of an end. "I'm _bored,"_ Ven whined after about an hour or so.

"We just started walking." Aqua reproached him. Terra resisted the urge to raise his eyebrows at her.

"We've been at this for hours," said Ven, which was also an exaggeration. He scowled, then perked up and reached for the chunk of armor on his shoulder.

" _No."_

"Aw, come on! It's not like I'm gonna go off-world!"

"I _know_ what you're gonna do," Terra said, face deadpan. "and _you_ know we're only supposed to use our Gliders when traveling the Lanes Between or in a fight."

"But walking's boring!"

"You're not in any condition to use your Glider," said Aqua, sternly.

Ven twisted his face at her and insisted, "I'm fine!"

"You're not," Naminé piped up. "You need rest. We all do." That was especially true for Naminé, who was covered with bruises and adjourned with a nasty cut on her cheek. She wasn't vocal about it, but Terra could tell by her many winces she was in serious pain.

"You're no fun, Naminé," Ven said, putting his hands behind his head.

Naminé responded with a blank blink. "Ventus," Aqua said sharply.

"What?"

Terra bit back a sigh, wondering whether Ven had been like this before Xehanort split his heart into two. It was quite the experience, getting used to the new _original_ **new** Ven. He was prone to sarcasm and outbursts. A sharp smirk replaced his trademark cheeriness. Vanitas was quite the influence on him, though not enough he wanted to kill everything on sight. And Ven was still capable of kindness and gentleness; it was only he was pickier over who to show it to.

Silence passed. Ven slowed down until he walked side by side with Naminé. He tapped her on the shoulder and, once he'd gained her attention, gave her a small grin.

Naminé's surprise was evident, but she quickly relaxed and returned his smile with one of her own.

A town faded into view. Large and teaming with the sound of bustling villagers, Terra slumped with relief.

Screams plunged into the air, shrill and edged with terror.

Well, so much for that. Terra's Keyblade materialized in his hand, as did Aqua's and Ven's. Naminé pulled out her staff, a gift given to her by Donald, and the quartet sprinted.

The town was overrun with Heartless. The villagers rushed into their homes, doors slamming shut behind them. There were individuals clad in silver armor engaging the monsters, and while they held up their own, they had less luck vanquishing them. A teenage girl cowered in the center, amid almost countless Shadows and Soldiers. Her gaze flickered over each of them before landing on Terra.

The distress in her face grew, and she shouted, "Get away from here! It's not safe!"

Terra ignored her. "Ven, come on! Aqua! Naminé!"

Naminé cast Thunder, weakening all shadows in the vicinity. Casting Magnet, Aqua gashed the Heartless coming her way while Terra and Ven struck down the rest.

Terra heaved with exertion once the coast was clear. "Is everyone okay?" Aqua asked, voice catching with a slight pant.

"I'm-I'm fine," Naminé put away her staff, while Ven grinned almost viciously.

The girl and the knights encircled around her stared. The girl's gaze, smooth and calculating, landed on Terra's Keyblade; Terra dismissed it, his stomach twisting with nerves.

The corner of her lips twitched into an enraptured smile. "That was quite the display," she said, irises bright with emotion. "You did a commendable job slaying those creatures. My own knights did not have the sufficient skills needed to best these strange new creatures, yet you best them with ease. You have my thanks for saving not only the lives of my people, but my own life as well. I am in your debt."

"Your people?" Aqua asked, interest piqued. "You are the ruler of this land?"

The girl dipped her head. "I am Princess Mirine de Leggero, daughter to King Juico, who guides Uzl to a brighter tomorrow. Who are you four?"

"Nomads," answered Aqua, smoothly. "We have experience with these creatures-we've run into them a lot during our travels."

"Hmm. I take it your travels have led you some ways over the galaxy. I've never seen such monsters before."

"They're called Heartless," said Terra. "They're attracted to the darkness within people's hearts, so make sure to keep your distance. Your weapons won't do damage against them."

"Is that so? Yet, yours do." Princess Mirine pointed out. "In any case, you have my thanks. Please tell me, is there anything I can do to express my gratitude?

Terra exchanged looks with Aqua. She gave him a subtle nod. "We could use a place to rest," he said. "Some medical supplies, if it's not any trouble."

"No trouble at all," Mirine smiled. "You look like you could use them. Please, follow me. I will see to it you get the necessary care. Men, if you would, please go and inform my father I will be bringing guests."

All the knights save one disbursed. "Mirine," he said, throwing a suspicious glare at Aqua and the others. "Should you be bringing strangers into the castle?"

Mirine sighed. "You're so paranoid, Obramo. It'd be nice if you trusted me every so often."

"Perhaps give me a reason to, _your highness,"_ His features were hidden by a silver helmet, but it was hard to miss the sarcasm in Obramo's voice.

Mirine's response was to lean in and give him a prolonged kiss on his temple.

Terra rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. He caught Aqua's eye again, and he hurried to break eye contact. He saw Ven in his peripheral vision choke on a laugh.

Princess Mirine drew back. Obramo beheld her with pink cheegrumbled, "Must you be so inappropriate?"

"Only for you, my beloved." Mirine extended a hand and tucked a stray hand of hair behind his ear. "Perhaps you can lend a hand and escort the blonde to the Castle?" She gestured at Naminé.

Naminé started. "Me?"

"I wish to speak to you all as we walk," Mirine glanced at Terra, Ven, and Aqua. "But you seem in need of immediate medical aid."

"No way," said Ven. "She stays with us."

Mirine frowned. "She needs medical attention."

"She's _fine."_

Mirine turned to Naminé. "Dear, what say you? It would save me a great deal of worry if you went up ahead and allow the castle healers to examine you."

"I..." Naminé hesitated. She glimpsed at Terra for a sign of what to do.

Truthfully, Terra wasn't fond of the idea of leaving Naminé alone with strangers. They seemed harmless enough, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd been tricked. But Mirine had a point. Naminé was starting to sport serious injuries. They were out of potions and none of them were in a position to cast a Cure. "Go ahead," Terra told her. "But...be careful."

Naminé left, sneaking glances back at Terra and the other all the while. Having yet to dismiss his Keyblade, Ven adjusted his hold on Wayward Wind, fingering his keychain with agitation. Aqua kept a cool facade.

Terra couldn't help but feel he made a terrible mistake.

It was an uneventful journey. Mostly, Mirine asked them personal stuff: What planet they came from, what their business was on the planet Uzl. The trio kept their answers vague, an almost subconscious decision on their parts. Years of training ingrained in them told them not to divulge anything (as if Sora hadn't broken that rule millions of times prior). Mirine didn't get annoyed at the lack of answers, instead keeping a pleasant demeanor as they arrived at her castle.

Mirene entered. After a brief moment's hesitation, Terra, Ven, and Aqua followed.

A middle aged man sat on a majestic throne, soldiers at either side of him. Naminé was stationed a few feet away, scrubbed clean of all her injuries. It would have been comforting, if it weren't for the fact she was violently struggling against Obramo's hold.

King Juico stood up, holding Naminé's staff in his hands. "It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of having keybearers as company. Come in. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 _Four day wait time? O.O Thank the five hour ride to and from Boston over the weekend.  
_


	4. Tourist-Ray of Hope MIX-

**IV. Tourist**

 _ **-Ray of Hope MIX-**_

* * *

 **I told you so.**

Void Gear and Wayward Wind manifested in his hands. Ventus hastened to reach Naminé, already going over all the ways he could beat the crap out of everyone in the room.

Obramo whipped out a knife and pressed the tip of the blade to Naminé's throat. She gasped and stilled as Ven skidded to a halt, gritting his teeth. "Now, now," the king said soothingly. "I'd hate for things to get messy. I just had this area cleaned."

Baring his teeth, Terra pointed Ends of the Earth at King Juico and commanded, "Let our friend go."

The king laughed. He set his eyes on Terra's Keyblade with morbid fascination. "So quick to violence. You remind me of that man. Are all of you this way?"

Aqua lowered her Keyblade. "We don't want to fight."

"Neither do I. So I would suggest relinquishing your weapons and answering my questions. Unless, of course, you want the girl's blood splattered on the walls."

 **You're dead,** Ventus thought. **I'll put your head up on display for all you idiots to watch-**

They dismissed their Keyblades. "You have no idea who you're messing with," Ventus said lowly, in a controlled voice.

"That's where you're wrong, boy," said Juico. The smile fell from his wrinkled face, replaced with a bitter, haunted scowl. "I've had the unfortunate experience of meeting the original key bearers. How my father was swayed by fools dressed in robes and masks, I'll never know."

 _Wielders wearing masks...is he talking about_ them? "What are you talking about?" Ventus asked, trying to keep his racing heart under control.

"Don't play dumb. The foretellers, who else?"

Aqua stiffened. "How do you know about the foretellers? They died thousands of years ago."

"Uzlians live extensive lives," Juico said off-handedly. "I'm 13,500 years old, give or take a century or so. The foretellers came to Uzl when I was just a child. They spoke of vanquishing darkness and preserving the light. They scouted Uzl for potential wielders with my father's blessing. But it was all a lie. They led our people to their doom. My father lost his life in the accursed war between Keyblade wielders. Our kingdom was under siege by armies led by the foretellers themselves!"

 **Shut up!**

"You don't know the whole story," Ventus blurted out. From the moment the king mentioned the foretellers, Ventus felt faint. He'd stumbled backwards, blood running cold as his mouth dried. But hearing such scorn, such _hatred_ towards his predecessors restored clarity to his mind. It also sparked anger within the shadows of his heart, which he quashed down.

He ignored Aqua's warning look and hurdled on: "It wasn't a lie. The Masters _did_ want to protect the World, nothing mattered more to them!"

The soldiers encircling them tightened their hold on their weapons. Juico cast daggers at him. "And how would you know this, boy? You weren't there. You did not witness the bloodshed and devastation as I did. If you had, you wouldn't be so quick to defend them."

Ventus had no response to that. He clenched his fists in frustration.

"How long until other key bearers arrive?" Juico asked. "You can't be alone. What is that _thing_ up in the sky? An atomic weapon, no doubt. Get rid of it at once!"

"Oh, for the love of-" Biting his tongue, Ventus jerked his head so he wouldn't have to look at this idiot's face. "You don't know _anything."_

Aqua gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Your Majesty," Terra said, carefully. "We understand you haven't had pleasant encounters with key bearers, but things are different now. _We're_ different. We aren't here to recruit anyone. We just want to protect you."

"A likely story." Juico narrowed his eyes with a resolved air to him. "My father, may he rest in peace, fell victim to the lies of key bearers. I will not."

He snapped his fingers, and his soldiers hastened to seize the off-worlders. "No!" Naminé shouted, her upper half of her body lunging forward. Obramo held her back, not once taking his gaze off of Ventus.

"Let go of us!" Ventus shouted. He made no real attempt to escape. Obramo grazed his blade against Naminé's cheek threateningly.

 **What are you waiting for? Attack!**

 _But_ _Naminé!_

 **Forget her! Fight!**

 _NO! She's my friend!_

Ventus snarled, wishing his hands were free so he could beat them against his temples. "Quiet," he said coarsely.

Aqua also complied, but she pleaded, "Your Majesty, please, _listen_ to us-"

"Enough of this!" Juico roared. "Take them all to the dungeons!"

"Wait, stop!" Terra shouted. "Naminé-she doesn't have a Keyblade. She doesn't have anything to do with this. Let _her_ go!"

This gave the king pause. He eyed Naminé with conflicted interest, gaze switching between her and the staff he'd taken from her. Approaching her with thundering footsteps, he took her chin in his fingers and lifted her head up so he had a proper view of her face. "Is this true? You are not one of them?"

Naminé gulped. "I-I don't have a Keyblade, but-! They're my friends. They're good people, please don't hurt them!"

"You would call these savages friends." Juico tossed her head to the side, disgusted. "But you are young. You will learn. Obramo, find a place for her in the castle. We'll see if we can make good use of her."

Terra, Ventus, and Aqua all erupted with protests. Ventus shouted, "Dammit, she's not a tool! If you lay a finger on her-!"

"She'll be safer with us than she'd ever be with _you,"_ Juico said. Ominously, he added, "As long as you behave yourselves."

The trip to the dungeons was long and annoying. The soldiers held him so he was hunched over, and his back was starting to ache. "Get off me!" Ventus snapped as he was thrown into a cell. Throwing off Terra and Aqua's arms, which they'd extended in support, he darted to the cell door and grabbed the metal bars. "Let us out!"

Terra cursed as he clutched onto one of the bars. "We're locked in!"

"You don't say." Aqua put her hands on her hips. "If only we had the _keys."_

"...Right," Terra said sheepishly.

Before he could summon his Keyblade, Ventus made a choked noise and waved his hands at him. "No, wait, wait!"

Terra looked at him, surprised. "What's wrong, Ven?"

"They have _Naminé._ We can't just break out of here. They'll hurt her." Or worse, but Ventus tried to stay optimistic. Naminé was a good mage, but she wasn't at the level where she could cast spells without a conduit.

Terra cursed again. In other circumstances, Ventus would have marveled at how vulgar Terra's language actually was and how he wasn't even trying to keep it clean for his sake. He must have been _pissed._

"Couldn't she use a corridor to get away?" Aqua asked.

"If she could have, she would have done it by now." Ventus crossed his arms. "Something's wrong..."

 **Urrgh! Who cares?! Unlock the door and get us out of here!**

"Argh! Shut up!" Ventus clasped his hands over his ears. As if that would block the voice out.

"Ven!" Aqua was by his side in less than a second. Taking him by the shoulders, she peered down at him concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ventus grunted. "I'm fine."

" _Ven,"_ said Terra. Aqua dropped one of her hands so one of Terra's could take its place. He gave him a firm but serene squeeze.

Ventus dipped his head. "It's just-I-we- _Vanitas_ doesn't like being trapped. He wants to break out."

Honestly, Ventus couldn't blame him(self). The cell was dingy. It smelled rancid: a horrific combination of blood, soaked dirt, and urine. Worst of all, it was so _cramped._ Ventus could barely find room to breathe let alone walk or pace.

He'd never hated the idea of feeling trapped so much before. It was almost a mystery, but Ventus knew where this new disdain was coming from. Ever since rejoining with Vanitas, he was burdened with persistent feelings of sadness, anger, and fear. It was easy enough to ignore, but there were times when it all inflamed. Vanitas became more active whenever Ventus felt cornered, afraid, angry. It took a ridiculous amount of will not to lose control during battle. Vanitas was a bloodthirsty little punk.

"Ventus, we can't risk Naminé's safety," said Aqua.

"I _know_ that, Aqua. Geez, what do you take me for?" Ventus released the cell bars and leaned against the dungeon wall. "As long as we're in here, we should talk about what that idiot was talking about. People like him, people who know about the Keyblade War, they're not gonna listen to reason."

Aqua rested her chin in her hand. "We need a plan."

"We wait," said Terra roughly. "It's all we can do." He wasn't happy about that. At all.

Ventus could relate.

* * *

 _Come on,_ Naminé thought desperately as Obramo led her down the long hallways. _Come on, come on, come on..._

"Girl!" Obramo whirled around to face her. Naminé quickly put on a mask of innocence. Oblivious, the knight questioned her, "How old are you?"

"Um." That was a good question. "F-Fifteen." She doubted answering truthfully that she was less than two years old was a good idea.

"Too young to be a consort," Obramo muttered. "We'll put you in the kitchens. With any luck, you won't cause any more trouble."

Naminé waited for Obramo to move so his back was to her. Slowing to a stop, she directed her hand so her palm faced the ground and willed a portal to appear. This wasn't supposed to be hard. Corridors of Darkness was the only thing she was good at. She was a _Nobody._

Nothing.

Naminé hurried to catch up with Obramo. Observing him from the side, she saw the ferocity he'd worn while in his king's presence had dimmed down. His eyebrows were furrowed in what seemed to be apprehension. His lower lip was being dragged inward by his upper teeth.

"We helped you," Naminé said. "We _helped_ you."

No response. "Let them go, _please._ I'll go to the dungeons in their place. They don't deserve to be imprisoned."

"The king's orders are final," Obramo said, not looking at her. "You'd do well not to take his mercy for granted."

Mercy. Naminé wanted to scoff.

The kitchen was pristine. The counters and dangling pots and pans all gleamed. The sound of meat sizzling and soup boiling was mixed with the shouts of cooks, dishwashers, and porters. One of the dishwashers noticed Obramo bringing Naminé in and approached, an inquisitive smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Obramo," the dishwasher greeted them. "Who is this?"

"New girl," Obramo shoved Naminé forward. "Put her to work. Make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

He exited the room as swiftly as he entered. "My goodness," the dishwasher murmured as Naminé stared after the knight. "Are you human?"

The question was enough to startle Naminé into looking at the dishwasher. He was a middle-aged man, with grey hair that had a faint shade of light brown. They matched his eyes, a soft liquid brown, warm and soft.

When Naminé didn't reply, he inquired, "How did you end up so far from Earth?"

She joined her hands together, unsure of how to answer. Whatever the man saw on her face appeared to be enough to placate her, since he said, "Well, never mind. It's none of my business. I have to say though, it's nice to have another human around."

Guilt tumbled through Naminé's stomach. Guilt and longing. "There were other humans with me," Naminé blurted out. "But they were sent to the dungeons. Do you know what happens to prisoners?"

"I'm afraid not," the man said, and she wilted.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure your friends are alright."

His words did little to calm her. "Thank you," Naminé mumbled.

The man's smile dimmed then brightened almost instantaneously. "Let me give you a tour around the kitchen," he said. "Show you where everything is and where you can help out."

She couldn't. She couldn't help. But he was being so nice to her. And she couldn't just give up. Terra, Aqua, and Ven were counting on her. She took a deep breath and gave him a tiny smile. "Thank you," she repeated. "I'm Naminé."

The man's smile widened. "It's nice to meet you, Naminé. My name's Sam."

* * *

 _Eight days between update. Not bad. This is also the longest chapter so far. That's two chapter updates within two weeks! To commemorate the newest trailer release, this chapter has been given the subtitle "Ray of Hope". That trailer was insane, guys. The song threw me off at first, but it's grown on me and I can't wait to see the whole opening with Aqua. The delay was unfortunate, but come on, it's not because anything is wrong with KH development. It's because of FFXV. Figures. It's spent the last decade delaying Kh games, why should it stop now?_

 _The Paladins make their return next chapter. Until then, wish me luck with school, please leave behind your thoughts in reviews, and thanks for reading~_


	5. Dreams

**V. Dreams**

* * *

 _"Daddy, Daddy!" Katie clutched her father's arms, energized by the sounds of the nearby kids laughing as they roamed the playground. The grass tickled her bare feet while the sun's rays pressed gently against her. "I'm ready for liftoff!"_

 _"Oh, you are, are you?"_

 _Katie erupted with laughter as she swooshed up into the air, her father's hands gripped firmly on her armpits. "Higher, I wanna go higher, Daddy!"_

 _"I can't go any higher, kiddo!" Her father laughed._

 _She kicked the air and pouted before dissolving into giggles._

 _Matt approached, his glasses slipping down his nose. He tugged on their father's sleeve and demanded, "I wanna liftoff! Lift me up, Dad!"_

 _Katie shrieked, "No! It's my turn!"_

 _"Daaadddd!"_

 _"Whoa, whoa, Matt, hold on," Their father shot his son a stern frown. "You can't shake me so hard while I'm holding your sister. I could have dropped her."_

 _"But you didn't," Matt pointed out, but he drooped his head, chastised._

 _Their father gently set Katie on the ground. "Sorry, sweetheart. I need a break."_

 _"But..." Katie's doleful stare turned into a glare, which she directed at Matt. Matt stuck his tongue out at her. Before a fight could erupt, Sam grabbed both of his children's hands, pulling them along as they held a silent argument behind his back. It consisted of making faces at each other, and it ended with the two of them breaking down with muffled laughter._

 _They ended up at the edge of a small lake, stationed in the middle of the park. Sam let go of Katie and Matt and propped himself onto the wet grass. He stretched and patted the empty spots at his sides. The two sat down, and in unison took their father's arms and wrapped them around themselves._

 _"I like the sunset," Matt said, snuggling into his father's side. "It's pretty."_

 _"Do they have sunsets up in space, Daddy?" Katie asked, gripping her father's arm._

 _He made a thoughtful noise. "I haven't seen any, but space is a big place. For all we know, there's a planet out there with five suns. I bet you anything there are wonders out there just waiting to be discovered."_

 _Katie squeezed his arm. "I'm gonna go out and learn what's out there!"_

 _"Yeah! We'll travel the whole universe with our own spaceship, and we'll meet aliens and go on adventures and discover planets we don't know about yet," her brother excitedly added._

 _"We'll go together, right Dad?"_

 _Their dad smiled down at them. "I couldn't imagine a better crew."_

Pidge woke up disoriented. Rubbing her eyes, she fumbled her nightstand for her glasses. She tried to ignore the newly opened hole in her heart, its edges prickling as if the missing piece had been carved out. The gaping hole inside her was a familiar feeling, an irregular part of her routine since her father and brother went missing. When was the last time she dreamt about her family? A week? A month? She couldn't remember. Surely not that long ago...right?

She might have wracked her brain for an answer if it weren't for the shadow monsters that creeped on her floor. Hand frozen in midair, Pidge stared at the gaggle of creatures uncomprehendingly. She blinked. The creatures stared back, their golden eyes trained on her.

Their antennae wiggled.

They pounced. Pidge let out a shout as she flung the creatures away. They plopped to the ground and dove back to her as she reached under her pillow. Activating her Bayard, she swiped at the monsters, over and over again.

They made no noise. No whimpers or groans of pain. Understandable. It didn't look like they had mouths. What surprised her was how resilient these things were. It took numerous strikes to take out one of them, at which point it dissipated into nothing, as if they'd never been there at all.

She scrambled to open the door and retreated to the hallways. She closed the door, which turned out to be pointless, since the monsters sunk into the floor and slid across to her. They popped back out and resumed their ambush. "Urrgh, what the quiznack?" She shrieked.

"Pidge!"

Keith and Lance were in the hallway, faced off agains shadows of their own. Pidge dared a glance at them as she finally, finally managed to take out three targets. "Guys!"

"Tell me this is a nightmare!" Lance shouted, his voice bordering on shrill.

"What are these things?!" Keith slashed through a pair of shadows.

"Who cares!? How do we make them leave?!"

The answer turned out to be by whacking and shooting until their arms were ready to fall off. Pidge panted as Lance leaned against the wall for reprieve. Keith scanned the halls, only relaxing when it seemed all the monsters were gone. "We're clear."

Lance let out a deep, garbled breath as he collapsed on to the floor. Wiping her brow dry, Pidge nudged Lance's side with her bare foot. His response was an even heavier sigh.

"Lance?"

"Shhhh," he hissed, opening his eyes so that they were slits. Glaring at her, he brought a finger to his lips. "No talky. Bedtime."

He was alright. Her concern draining, she kicked him in the stomach and he let out a strangled yelp. Keith shook his head but stayed silent. "Get up, Lance. Not the time or place for a snooze fest."

"There could be more of them in the castle,"said Keith. Unlike Pidge and Lance, he still had his Bayard out, and was gripping it tightly. "We have to brief the others."

Lance groaned before jumping back up to his feet. "How'd they get in here in the first place? We haven't landed anywhere in like forever. Unless...we have ghosts?! We're being haunted again!"

"It never was haunted, Lance," said Pidge. "And ghosts aren't real."

"'Ghosts aren't real?' We're in the middle of space fighting an evil alien empire with lion mecha bots. Ghosts could be real. There could be an entire planet of ghosts out there! Just itching to find a bunch of tontos to haunt or something." Lance shuddered. "I didn't sign up to get possessed, you guys."

"Maybe a possessed Lance would be less whiny." Keith contemplated as they ran for the castle bridge. "I could use some peace and quiet right now."

"Excuse you, I am not whiny. I am open and opinionated."

"Tomato, to-mah-toe," Pidge said as the door to the bridge swished open.

She stepped inside and then froze in her tracks.

Cora and Allura were by the controls, immersed as Altean symbols spanned across the holographic panels in front of them. That wasn't too troubling. What was troubling was the small plush like creature floating in the corner. With a big pom pom hanging off its head by a single antenna, a bulbous nose, and the balloon in its stubby hand, it was...really cute. Pidge wanted to snuggle with it.

Hunk already was. The yellow paladin was crouched in front of the creature while Shiro stood near Coran and Allura. He poked its pom pom with intrigue. The sight of all of them together helped ease most of the tension in Pidge's body, though a small part of her remained coiled and ready for action.

"What the...?" Lance blinked. "What's going on?"

Allura looked up from the screens. "Ah, good. You're all here. I was about to ring for you three."

"You guy! Check it out!" Hunk called out from his crouching position. He beamed as he gestured at the creature. "Isn't he the cutest?"

Keith had his sword drawn and pointed at the creature. "Who are you? How did you get in the castle?"

Pidge face palmed as the creature broke into a long, terrified shriek: "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" It jettisoned up to the ceiling, trembling with fear. Its balloon (which it had let go of in its shock) floated after it with leisure. "Put that away, kupo! Moogles don't like sharp pointy things!"

"Moogles?" Lance asked.

"It's his species," Hunk explained. "Allura called us here because she found him hanging around. But he's harmless, I swear. Look at him!" Pidge swore his eyes sparkled.

"Keith, stand down." Shiro said. "He's not going to hurt us."

Keith complied, but he did not cease his glaring. "Who is he?"

"I'm a businessman! I'm here to sell you goods, kupo!"

Not the answer Pidge expected. Keith lowered his sword, confused. "A...businessman."

"I got all sorts of commerce, kupo!" The moogle said. "Weapons, potions, you name it! Why, this one," he pulled out a large sword out of literally nowhere. How he was able to hold something thrice his size, Pidge had no clue. "is available for the low cost of 250 munny!

Look, it's so much nicer than the one you just tried to kill me with, kupo!"

"We found him in here earlier," Allura said. "He went on about shadows coming to get him and begged for refuge. He was quite frightened. Fortunately for us, he-"

Pidge's eyes widened. She stretched her neck and asked, "You know about the shadows?"

Allura's annoyance at being interrupted vanished and was replaced with shocked concern. "As do you, it seems."

"We were just ambushed by a bunch of them!" Lance threw his hands up in the air. "It's why we came up here to warn you guys!"

"You were attacked?" Shiro took a forceful step closer to them. "Are you three okay? What happened?"

"It's the Heartless, kupo!" The Moogle cried out from above.

"Heartless?"

Allura said, "Coran and I searched the term in our databanks. We can't find anything on them."

"Which is weird, because I thought everyone knew about them." The small creature descended so he was at face-level with Pidge. Pidge instinctively offered her arms, and the moogle nestled into her grip.

"They're everywhere these days, kupo. They travel world to world spreading darkness and stealing hearts. Things got better for awhile and then POW! There's this big light and suddenly they're all over the place and I'm drifting in the middle of space! My name's Kupo, by the way," The moogle said. Hunk, Coran, and Lance 'awwed' while Shiro fought to hide a smile. "I tried to go back home but I couldn't find my world's star, so I decided to find

someplace to rest. I found this ship and I...teleported in. I'm real sorry, kupo."

"He gave Coran and I quite the fright," Allura said with a sheepish smile. "But it's a good thing he's here. He's proven to be quite the source of information and resources."

"Weapons, potions, you name it, I can get it for you! For a price," Kupo said quickly.

Allura smiled. "Yes, and we've decided that since we do not have this so called munny, your price is a place in this castle under the protection of the Voltron paladins. If that's not to your liking, you can leave-"

"No, no, I'm fine, kupo!" Kupo clutched onto Pidge.

"We think the bright light he mentioned was the same one we witnessed three days ago. If so, then the emergence of these Heartless has to be connected to the Kingdom of Hearts." Allura frowned. "You three look exhausted. Were these shadows really so strong? Kupo told me they are the weakest of the Heartless."

Those were the weakest? "Uhh..." Pidge cleared her throat while Keith and Lance avoided Allura's gaze. "Not so much strong as durable. They can really take a punch."

"...I see." Allura's voice hardened. "I suppose we will have to fix that. There's a fair chance we will see more of these monsters on other planets. We must be able to fend them off and protect the innocents of the universe."

Pidge knew what Allura was going to suggest. Every muscle in her body protested. Keith and Shiro seemed resigned. "I don't like where this is going," Hunk whispered, while Lance was quick to object.

"Allura, babe, please, I'm three seconds away from passing out here-"

"Training deck. Now!"

* * *

 _Sorry for the long wait between updates. This chapter was a killer._

 _Their first encounter with the Heartless, and with the shadows, no less. They are very lucky they didn't get attacked by a Darkside. Heartless are harder to fight without Keyblades, so the paladins are gonna have to work on increasing their endurance. If Sora had been the one up against the Heartless in this chapter, he wouldn't be nearly as worn out as Pidge, Lance, and Keith are (he still would be, but not as much). Go, Sora!_


	6. Pirate

**VI. Pirate**

* * *

Officially, Naminé was a dishwasher, but she did other tasks too, like mopping the floor or playing messenger/delivery girl for her superiors. Learning how to do all that wasn't hard. It could have been worse; they could have been forcing her to do their dirty work instead. There was enough dirt on her hands to last a lifetime. What Naminé found difficult was dealing with her fellow servants. Some were kind. Others, ambivalent. A few were just plain mean, but she was experienced with meanness and to be honest, none of them held a dampened candle to Larxene or Marluxia.

All the servants gossiped. Their favorite topic were the three off-worlders imprisoned in the castle dungeons. Pirates, they said in hushed voices, come to plunder the planet and steal their riches. Naminé worried how widespread the gossip could become. The idea of Terra, Aqua, and Ven being treated as common criminals by an entire world unsettled her.

It'd be okay, she tried to reassure herself. There was a whole town who had seen them fight off Heartless. Witnesses who could attest to being saved by the so-called pirates. They knew the kind of people the Keyblade wielders really were.

Sam didn't take part in the gossip. He took her under her under his wing and showed her where to find supplies, which of their superiors to avoid, everything she needed to know to get by. Naminé liked him. He reminded her of Kairi's father on the Islands, kind and patient.

He talked a lot about his family. He had a wife and two kids he couldn't talk about without sliding into a bittersweet sadness. He hadn't seen his family since since being abducted from his world over a year ago. His son was with him when they were taken, but the two were separated not long afterwards. Their kidnappers sent Sam off to Uzl to work as a servant, leaving him no idea where his son was.

Naminé wondered what it felt like to be apart from your family. To be part _of_ a family. The closest she'd ever come were the members of Organization XIII stationed at Castle Oblivion and, later, DiZ and Riku. They probably didn't count, and if they _did,_ they'd most likely categorize as dysfunctional.

When Sam wasn't talking about his own life, he asked her questions about her own. Naminé was never sure how to answer them without lying. She couldn't say she trusted the man, but she liked him, and she didn't like lying to him. But how did she explain that the aliens who kidnapped him had more right to life than she did? That the aliens they served were more _human_ than her? Especially when it seemed to please him that he was working alongside a fellow human.

She gave short answers and he never pried. It left her both relieved and ashamed. He was so trusting. So accepting. She'd never felt more artificial. Naminé received it for the small blessing it was. A chance to pretend she was a normal girl. But, it left her yearning for more. For the people who knew what she was and still found it in them to smile at her. She missed her friends.

So she worked hard, and not just at washing dishes. Naminé spent her breaks hidden in the bathroom, trying to tap into the darkness in her heart so she could summon a corridor. Her success varied. Sometimes she met with sputters of darkness. The most she was able to conjure were wisps. Nothing helpful.

A week into her servitude, Naminé was curled up on the floor alongside the other workers. Their snores sputtered into the night, gurgling in her ears. Her inaction weighing heavily on her heart, Naminé stared out the doorway at the empty halls. Not a guard in sight.

She gave the room a general sweep and quietly got to her feet. Arms outstretched, she picked up the small bag she'd acquired the day before that she'd been using as a pillow and tiptoed around the servants to the exit.

It took some time for her to find the dungeons. She was grateful there weren't many guards on patrol _._ She maneuvered around them without much hassle. Her gratitude then morphed into panic when she reached the dungeons to find _three_ guards. None of them were facing her, thank Kingdom Hearts. Keeping her distance, Naminé observed them with intent. They stood straight, poised for intruders. Naminé wiggled her fingers, missing the staff Donald had given to her weeks earlier.

Aqua rested on the ground against the cell bars. Terra sat down next to her as Ven paced back and forth, corners of his lips dipped down and teeth bared. "URGGHH!" He cried out, fists clenched at his sides.

"Ven, calm down," Terra said warily.

"Calm down? The fuck I'm supposed to calm down?!"

"Language," said Aqua, voice monotone.

Ven whirled so he was facing the wall. "Who gives a crap about language right now?! We've been in this freaking cell a whole week! The food sucks, I can barely breathe in here, and I have to share a space with _those_ idiots!"

He glared at said 'idiots', one of whom returned his glare. She barked, "Keep it down, prisoner. We're getting tired of your whining!"

Naminé stepped back in the shadows. " _You_ keep it down!" Ven shouted childishly. "You wanna keep me in here, I decide how to spend my time in jail. Sounds pretty fair to me, wouldn't you say? Oh wait, you can't, because you're an oily faced fat ass who can't bother to think for himself!"

The guard rushed over, weapon drawn. "Insolent brat! You won't be so arrogant with your tongue ripped out!"

Gripping the cell bars, Ven's expression was almost feral. "Come at me, jackass. You won't last a _minute."_

"Ven, stop that!" Aqua shot up to her feet and grabbed Ven by the shoulder. "Deep breaths, Ven. In and out.

"You're not serio-"

" _Ventus,"_ Aqua said, her voice hardening slightly. She repositioned him so she stood as a barrier between him and the hostiles in front of them. Ven didn't resist, though he did take advantage of the fact that Aqua's back was to him.

He was in the middle of flipping the guards off when his gaze flickered to Naminé's direction. Naminé stilled.

Ven's eyes twitched wider open by a centimeter. Otherwise he showed no signs of having noticed her. "Whatever," he turned to his friends. "This is getting boring, so I'll stop. Right, Aqua?"

Aqua narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"You're right. I should _stopgoading_ them." Ven slurred his words together so there was no pause between. He gave his friend an intent look.

Aqua wasn't a Keyblade Master for nothing. Her face lit up with realization, and she gave a small nod. "Right."

She lifted her hands up and gave a thundering cry: _"Stopga!"_

A wave of light hurtled over the guards, and they froze where they stood. Naminé let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, her shoulders drooping with relief. She crossed over the space to the others, unable to hide a large smile. "Guys!"

"Naminé!" Terra shot up while Aqua pressed herself against the cell bars. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried," Naminé hoisted her bag off her shoulders and opened the latch. She pulled out one of the loaves of bread she'd taken from the kitchen earlier that day. "I wasn't sure if they were feeding you..."

She reached a hand through the space between the bars. Ven snatched the loaf of bread from her hand and sunk in his teeth, letting out a small moan of delight. "Nam, you are a treasure."

Naminé flushed as she passed loaves to Terra and Aqua. "We get food," said Terra between bites. "Granted, not a lot of it, but we're not being starved."

"Speak for yourself," Aqua said with a swallow. "I don't know how you and Ven can stomach prison food."

"Acquired taste," Ven said off-handedly. "I think they're _trying_ to starve us by giving up crappy food. Sucks for them, because I got used to crappy food a long time ago, and Terra will eat anything."

Naminé chuckled and reached into her bag for the container of water she pilfered with the bread. "Sorry I couldn't get more," she apologized.

Aqua took the container and shot Naminé an assured smile. "It's plenty. Thank you, Naminé."

"So you guys are alright? Aside from the food, I mean. They haven't hurt you, have they?"

"I think we're the ones who should be asking you that," Aqua frowned. "Are they treating you well?"

"I-yes, I guess so. I get food, and-I have a place to sleep. The servants are nice. I haven't seen the king since he sent me down to the kitchens."

"There's that, at least," Terra muttered as Ven wiped his mouth dry and passed him the water. "I'm surprised you made it down here, though. Did you use a Corridor?"

Naminé's smile slipped off. "...No. I-I can't summon Corridors. I've been trying and sometimes I get close but I-I can't open one."

"We figured as much," Aqua said. "But you're here now, so it's our cue to leave." She peeked at the trio still under her spell. "Right now, as a matter of fact. I can't keep the spell active for much longer."

"On it," Ven summoned Wayward Wind and pointed the teeth of his blade at the cell door. With a flash of light the door swung open and they poured out.

The blond stretched out his arms. "Freakin' finally. I was this close to losing my mind and burning this whole castle to the ground."

"Ven," Terra said in warning.

"Relax, Terra, I'm just kidding." Ven rolled his eyes. "Mostly. Whatever. Let's get out of here."

Ven seemed anxious. He kept on tapping his foot and crossing and uncrossing his arms. His gaze shifted all over the place. Naminé chalked it up to the restlessness of being stuck in a cell for a week. Terra shook his head, summoning his own Keyblade and pointing it at the middle of the air.

"...Terra? Anytime now." Ven said. His leg bounced up and down.

Terra blinked and shook his Keyblade. "What the-"

"Terra?" Aqua said, concerned.

"I can't," Terra said, then cut himself off. Swallowed. "I can't open a Lane. Aqua."

Aqua heeded his unspoken cue. She waited until Terra cast another Stopga on the guards before calling Stormfall. She aimed her Keyblade at a point up ahead, coiled with concentration.

Seconds passed. Aqua let her arm drop, dismissing Stormfall with a pained grimace. "It's no good."

Ven paled. "Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap." Aqua put a hand to her forehead and Terra stared at her in shock.

Naminé folded her hands together in trepidation. "You guys?"

"We're trapped," Aqua said, stiffly. "We're stuck on _Uzl."_

"On a world where everyone wants to kill us." Terra put his face in his hands.

"Shut up, Vanitas, we can't kill anyone!" Ven shouted. "No, don't-guys, I'm fine."

Terra and Aqua had closed in on him, concern written on their faces. "Are you sure?" Terra asked.

"For Light's sake, _yes._ I can't help it if Vanitas won't shut up." Ven bit down on a knuckle.

Naminé bit her lip. "Wait, but...if we're stuck here...what do we do?"

"I know what _I_ want to do," Ven said. He ignored the pointed and exasperated look Terra sent his way.

"You should head back to the servants' quarters," Aqua said. "I don't want to think about what would happen if someone caught you down here."

"What about you?" Naminé thought she saw one of the guards twitch. She shifted her weight.

"We'll gonna have to wait and see," said Aqua. "They haven't hurt us so far, and it's better than going out and risking a fight we might not win. Not with our Keyblades on the fritz."

"Don't worry," Terra directed a weak smile at Naminé. "We'll be fine. But you have to go _now_. The Stopga's gonna wear off soon."

"But-"

"Naminé," his voice took on a gentle tone. "It'll be okay. We promise."

His smile turned strained. Before she could argue, Naminé knew she saw one of the guards' hands twitch. They were out of time. Ven and Aqua smiled at her and gestured for her to go. Taking in her friends' presences, she swiveled and fled the dungeons.

By the time she made it back to the servants quarters, tears blurred her vision.

* * *

She kept nodding off the next morning. She did her best to stifle her yawns as she worked, but one plowed out of her chest, causing Sam to chuckle and Naminé to blush.

"Rough night?" He asked amiably.

Naminé's eyebrows furrowed. Her lips twitched. "You could say that."

"Couldn't sleep?" said Sam.

Naminé dropped a dish and scrambled to pick it up and scrub it clean. "N-no."

"Me either. It's funny what you notice when you can't sleep at night. Though I have to admit, things weren't as active as I thought they'd be at night."

"You don't say." Naminé reached for the wet cloth resting on the counter, avoiding Sam's scrutinizing gaze.

He sighed. "Small blessings, I suppose. It'd have been harder to rest if things _had_ gotten crazy last night."

"Mmm."

"It's not like I could take a stroll to rest my nerves, either. They don't like the workers to wander off on their own."

"Doesn't sound we're just servants, then," said Naminé. "Sounds like we're prisoners too."

"Maybe, but we get more freedom than the prisoners downstairs." Sam lowered his voice so no one else could hear. "I doubt they would want you to risk yours."

Naminé blanched, sorting through a stack of dirty dishes. "They don't deserve to be down there," she muttered. "They didn't do anything."

"Why were they imprisoned?"

It wasn't the first time she was asked that and Sam wasn't the only one to ask. Naminé never knew how to answer. Aqua, Terra, and Ven were reluctant to share information about themselves (a result of their Master's teachings). She didn't want to violate that, and she doubted the people here would believe her. The people here seemed inclined to hate them.

Sam was different, though. Keeping that in mind, she decided to give him an honest (albeit vague) answer. "The king is afraid of them. He thinks Terra and the others came to hurt him. We didn't though," she added quickly. "We just...found ourselves here. We didn't mean to come."

"How did you four end up here?" questioned Sam curiously.

Naminé tilted her head down. "They could have escaped by now. They still could. But they won't. They don't want to get anyone hurt."

"Anyone, or you?"

She looked up at Sam, startled to see him smile knowingly at her. "I have a feeling they're still down there because they want to keep _you_ safe. You have to be more careful, Naminé. It'd be pretty inconsiderate to needlessly put yourself in danger."

"It wasn't _needlessly._ I had to make sure they were okay."

He said, "You four have been through a lot together, huh."

"...You could say that," she said. "I just wish there was something I could _do."_

And that was the crux, wasn't it? Because the thing was, she should have been able to do something. Yen Sid and Riku said the darkness in her heart was potent. She couldn't totally agree, but there might have been some truth to it.

When she was reborn, she uncovered a new power besides her ability to summon corridors and her control over memories. When she first discovered this power, she was surprised by how _easy_ it was to master control over it. It was as natural to her as rearranging the chains of memories. Naminé liked it a lot more too; there was no way for her to hurt someone with it.

She wondered whether she still had her power over memories before tossing the thought aside. Whether she did or not, she wasn't going to use it. Her newest power could still be useful, though. Like the Corridors, she was having trouble accessing her new power. Hey, twentieth time's the charm, right?

She found refuge in the bathroom later that day. She put a hand over her heart, closed her eyes, and _willed_ the darkness in her heart to branch out. She called out, desperate to make a connection, for someone to answer her call.

Her heart sank when she opened her eyes to see she was alone. She'd failed, _again._ She was still, always, alone.

Sinking against the wall, she balled the hand over her heart into a fist. Her body gave a small jump and tears spilled down her cheeks. She let them. She gasped out harsh puffs of air, whimpering at every interval. She squished her hands over her mouth to stifle her sobs.

Shuddering, Naminé lifted herself up from the wall. She splashed her face with water. When that was done, she took a large gulp of air and, when she was sure she wasn't about to break out into tears again, exited the bathroom.

No one paid her attention aside from Sam, who looked her over with concern. She tried for a smile, but was afraid it came out as more of a grimace. She didn't have the energy to fake being okay right now.

She was about to go to the sink when she heard a loud crash. She swung to face the direction it came from and saw the head chef exit the kitchen storage. He was a large, intimidating man, and someone Sam warned her to avoid whenever possible. She'd done so with relative success, but it appeared it was time for an introduction.

The other servants halted in their tasks at the sight of their boss red-faced and quivering. A silence fell over them. "It seems we have a thief amongst us," the man said, voice shaking with compressed rage. "I just counted inventory and we are missing _six_ loaves of bread, as well one full container of clean water."

Naminé froze. Near the sink, Sam gaped at her in astonishment.

"You dare steal from me?! From your king!? Whoever is responsible, I demand you come forward and confess to your crime!"

The servants erupted with harsh, accusatory whispers. Naminé stared at the head chef, lips parted. Her back melted with sweat.

The chef looked in her direction. Before Naminé could think, she was hoisted into the air by the larger man, close enough she saw the veins surrounding his irises. "Was it you, girl?" Spit pelted her face. "Are you the one who preyed on our king's generosity?"

Naminé swallowed down her fear and beheld the man with the fiercest glare she could muster. "Your king is a paranoid old man. I can't take advantage of something he hasn't given me."

"Worthless bitch!" The head chef threw her to the ground. She hissed with pain but otherwise made no other sounds. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "I'll have you thrown in the dungeons for this!"

"Wait!" Sam rushed near so he stood as a barrier between Naminé and the chef. "It-It was me!"

His cry gave the chef pause and shook Naminé's heart with shock. "Sam?" She gasped.

Sam turned and subtly shook his head at her. His eyes blazed and his jaw was set with a fierce determination. He faced the chef and barreled on, "I stole the bread. Please, I was so hungry..."

The chef approached him so there was no space between the two men. Grabbing him by the neck of his shirt, he hissed, "And why should I believe you?"

"Why would I lie?" Sam said simply. "To protect a girl I only just met? She means nothing to me."

The chef considered his words. He searched the other man's face for any sign of a lie for what felt like a whole minute. It seemed he found none, and he dragged Sam out the kitchen. "Get to work, you slackers!" He roared.

Everyone jolted back into productivity. Naminé stood up and stared after the two. She tried getting one last glimpse of her savior, but he didn't look back.

* * *

 _That opening, man. It was an inspiration. Over 3,000 words!_


End file.
